Daily doings – art habits

monotype print / /

Do you have daily habits or rituals in your art practice?

watercolor blobs

I like to try out new skills and techniques, and then decide if they fit into my art making practice.

mixed media book

Some things I have tried lately:

  • stylized bird doodles
  • painting watercolor blobs
  • geometric patterns
  • rusting paper
  • found word poems
  • fill in the blank

fill in the blank journal

I think my habits change and new habits lead to new work. I am enjoying the soft cover coptic stitch sketchbook.

soft cover coptic stitch bound book

I make a new one every few weeks. I noticed that how I fill the pages has changed. The one constant is the plant silhouette.

silhouette of plant

I encourage you to:

  • try out new habits/techniques
  • look back at your work
  • notice your constant (signature) mark making style
  • Celebrate your discoveries

If you would like to explore some new techniques and book forms, then join us in the online Mixed Media Retreat. Read all the details on the workshop page. Class to be scheduled.

sketchbook linda germain

Daily doings – art habits Read More »

Tear, sew, burn and bind

book arts, collage, combined techniques, mark making, mixed media printmaking / /

Do you have a pile of paper or prints that you are willing to transform with:

  • tearing into collage shapes
  • sew with or without thread
  • burn or smoke stain and
  • bind or fold into books?

collage on children's board book

If so, then you might enjoy the Mixed Media Retreat, and online class starting soon.

Tear, burn and stitch mixed media art

The class is designed to introduce ideas and techniques into your practice that will transform your papers and prints into books and mixed media prints.

collage with gelatin prints

Each lesson includes:

  1. A simple mark making prompt
  2. A textural layering technique
  3. A book form for reshaping prints and papers
  4. An artist talk to stimulate the mind.

You can get more details and register on the workshop page.

Tear, sew, burn and bind Read More »

Waiting is challenging

artist book, book arts, handmade books / /

I have been exploring some new book forms. I am binding gelatin prints into soft cover books and then using them like a journal.

artist books by linda germain

I am very pleased with the double fan book. It is a glued form that is good for single sheets of paper. This works well for all the 5″ x 7″ prints that I have been making in the last few years.

small gelatin plate monotype prints

The more books that I make the more I start to follow the rules. Waiting for the glue to dry is so hard for me. I want to flip the book open and start using it right away. Or even just open and see if I glued it straight and square. But don’t do it! The flatter I can leave the wet gluey paper then the flatter it will dry.

double fan bound book

Rules I am trying to follow:

  1. Paper grain runs in line with the spine. My pages lay flatter when the grain of the paper runs vertically. This can be challenging when I am using old prints, that I created without reference to the paper grain.
  2. Use good book binding PVA glue. It is strong and has less water content. Things seem to dry flatter and smoother.
  3. Let everything dry completely, under pressure. Generally that means overnight. This is the hardest rule for me to follow. But it has the biggest pay off. When I let the book dry completely, then the pages lay flat and the spine seems to be stronger.

With the my version of the double fan binding there are 3 overnight waits. I am developing more patience.

soft cover book of gelatin prints

Are there parts of your practice that require

  • waiting
  • patience or
  • following rules?

Willingness to adjust the process, sometimes pays off with different results, like flatter more pleasing books.

If you need the recipe to make the long lasting gelatin plate, you can find it here.

Happy printing!

Waiting is challenging Read More »

Capture some shadow shapes

drawings, inspiration, stencils / /

I take a daily walk in the woods along the lake and often see things that I want to use in my art making practice. It can be anything from weeds, leaves and sticks or inspiration for landscapes.

inspiration from the lake for landscapes

Those tangible things can be directly used in the gelatin printmaking process. I thinned down a tiny sprig of pine needles to make the prints below.

use found plants to make gelatin prints

I have been collecting more fleeting inspiration in the form of cast shadows. The sun needs to be strong and calm winds help.

cast shadows great for drawing

The bright sun simplifies the plants into shapes, and then I can more easily draw the leafy image. I does help to try to take the photo in the same angle and orientation that you want to draw it. Flipping in a photo program seemed off balance or wonky.

silhouette cast shadows

It can be very satisfying to do a few of these cast shadow drawing and fill them in with black ink or paint.

blurry pictures leave room for interpretation

Blurry pictures create room for interpretation. I notice that leaves are all different shapes and when a few group together they make even weirder shapes.

photograph shadows

The great thing about capturing shadows is that they don’t take up any studio space. And I always leave a few images on my phone, so I always have something as a drawing reference.

shadows and drawing practice

I encourage you to start to notice cast shadows and bring them back to your studio.

capturing cast shadows

One bright sunny day, in the studio, I tried casting some shadows and capturing them at the same time. I could have used another hand, but I love the shapes created. I may not have seen them by looking at the real branch.

Enjoy!

Capture some shadow shapes Read More »

Just gently begin

handmade books, inspiration / /

Art making ideas and inspiration come and go. Sometimes, I get stuck with either no ideas or too many ideas. That is when I remind myself to just start somewhere.

Gelatin Prints by linda germain

And usually quite quickly I am immersed in art making of some sort.

idea generator

I wrote potential art making habits on slips of paper and put them in a bowl. So if I am particularly stopped, I can just pick a slip and get started.

Somethings I wrote were:

  • Draw a selfie contour line image
  • Cut a found word poem
  • Stamp a whole page pattern
  • Paint big water color circles
  • Cut pages for my next sketchbook

sketchbooks by Linda Germain

I have found a sketchbook format that I really like and I have been filling up the pages of these handmade books since last August. I have captured my feelings and activities quite nicely.

I like this soft cover coptic stitch book because it lies flat and is very easy to work in. I can fold it back on itself to get the pages flat, unlike a hard cover book.

books by Linda Germain

A few gentle ways that I have begun lately:

  • Make quick folded books with scrap papers
  • Test out new book forms
  • Gelatin print on 6″ x 6″ paper with limited supplies
  • Experiment with drum leaf binding
  • Try out Andy Warhol’s blotted line monotype process
  • Watch a how to tutorial and actually do it!

I hope I have given you some ideas on how to keep the creativity flowing. If you need the recipe to make the glycerin and gelatin plate for printmaking you can get it here.

Happy printing and playing!

Just gently begin Read More »